Paradise Lost begins and ends with Man, but this is not Man as we know him in daily life, nor indeed as he is usually depicted in literature, but a perfect, pre-lapsarian Man. The primary concern of this epic poem appears to be “man’s first disobedience”2 and the results of that action. However, although Milton uses the word “man”, it is universally understood that it […]

Strictly following the tradition of classical epic, Milton made his Paradise Lost, a work that roused the interest of all men in all ages. We can even claim that by his creative genius, he has modified and ennobled that tradition. Though its form is classical, its content tends to be on the scriptural side. The very opening lines exhort its central theme –“Of man’s disobedience…” […]

In the manuscript, On Christian Doctrine, John Milton says of Chaos, “It was necessary that something should have existed previously, so that it could be acted upon by his supremely powerful active efficacy…Matter must have always existed independently of God, or else originated from God at some point in time… But if matter did not exist from eternity, it is not easy to see where […]

Strictly following the tradition of classical epic, Milton made his Paradise Lost, a work that roused the interest of all men in all ages. We can even claim that by his creative genius, he has modified and ennobled that tradition. Though its form is classical, its content tends to be on the scriptural side. The very opening lines exhort its central theme –“Of man’s disobedience…” […]

Critics abroad have argued about who the hero is of John Milton’s “Paradise Lost:” Satan, Adam or Christ, the Son? Since Milton’s overall theme stated in the opening lines of Book I is to relate ‘Man’s first disobedience’ and to ‘justify the ways of God to men’, Adam must be regarded as the main hero. John M. Steadman supports this view in an essay on […]